The day Google destroyed the Microsoft announcement.. with a chocolate bar

Feet up, watching TV last night, I couldn’t help notice something. Until early evening, the tech websites, news channels and Twittersphere was awash with one thing – the fact that Microsoft had splashed £4.6 billion on the Nokia mobile business.

£4.6 BERILLIONNN

That’s a lot of money. A huge step. It’s turning Microsoft into a device manufacturer and gives them access to patents and mapping services. Microsoft chief exec, Steve Ballmer, called it a “big, bold step forward”.

Then.

Then something happened. Something that would probably make Ballmer throw some more chairs.

A chocolate appeared.

Google had kept it secret and told almost everyone that it would be called “Key Lime Pie”. The story behind the naming is so simple and perhaps a bit weird. John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, found that late-night coding sessions involved a lot of KitKat chocolates. So, they called the Nestle UK advertising agency and asked whether they’d be interested in a tie-up. Nestle took less than an hour to make the decision and boom, the deal was done.

That’s it. That’s how simple it was. Now, just hours after Microsoft have spent £4.6 billion to push their mobile efforts uphill, Google have utterly blown away any Nokia press coverage with a quick phone call to a chocolate company.

Staggering. Utterly staggering.

So, if you want some chocolatey four-finger action, grab yourself a KitKat and visit android.com/kitkat where you could win one of a thousand Google Nexus 7 tablets or one of 50,000 £5 credits for Google Play. Oh, and don’t talk to me about the KitKat made by Hersheys in the USA. That chocolate just ain’t the same. :)

Google has ended months of online speculation about the name of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system by revealing it will be called ‘Android KitKat’, after Nestlé’s popular chocolate and wafer confectionery.

The UK will mark the release of Android KitKat, by joining 18 markets including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Middle East, Russia and the United States, to win prizes through more than 50 million specially branded KitKat bars.

Consumers in the UK can participate via special packs of KitKat Four-Finger and KitKat Chunky multipacks available in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ASDA and Tesco. The packs will lead consumers to the website android.com/kitkat where they will have the opportunity to win prizes including 1,000 Google Nexus 7 tablets or one of 50,000 £5 credits for Google Play, Google’s online store for apps, games, music, movies, books and more.

The creators of the world’s most popular mobile platform have teamed up with the world’s biggest food and beverage company to name the next release of the platform ‘Android KitKat’.

Android has been developed by the company’s engineers under sweet-themed names ever since the release of Android Cupcake in 2009 and continuing in alphabetical order until the most recent version, Android Jelly Bean.

The news that the letter ‘K’ will be dedicated to Nestlé’s KitKat will surprise most technology commentators, who had widely thought the latest version would be ‘Android Key Lime Pie’.
“We couldn’t imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that’s been a favorite among the team since the early days of Android,” said Marc Vanlerberghe, Director of Android Marketing.

Strong digital presence

“We’re excited to announce this partnership with Android, the world’s most popular mobile platform, which will help us to enable even more KitKat fans to enjoy their break,” said Patrice Bula, Nestlé’s Head of Marketing.

“KitKat is one of the world’s top ten fast-moving consumer goods brands in social media in terms of fan numbers and engagement,” he continued. “We continue to build on its strong digital presence with interactive, creative branding campaigns.”

Closer to consumers

Nestlé’s branding partnership with Google is the company’s latest move in its ambition to leverage digital technology and online content to get closer to its consumers to better understand and cater to their preferences.

Earlier this year, Nestlé acquired its first-ever piece of online content property, the Petfinder website in the United States. The online database, which links prospective adopters with adoptable pets, is visited by more than 100 million pet-lovers annually.

Are you @#4@ serious?
That’s got to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!

Hassan

really, who cares about kit kat anyways and v 4.4 specially, if they would had said v5 or even v4.5 i would had cared a bit but for v 4.4 and kit kat and you think this screwed MSFT’s nokia announcement, wow how really grande your thought process is

Paul

Is it me or is that kit kat finger in the picture being snapped in half actually bigger/fatter than the usual ones, but smaller than a Chunky?

Gears

:) I’m not sure, but I suddenly want chocolate :)

Chaz

Strangest post I have ever read. Reeks of fanboy. Which is odd considering this place started out because of windows phones. Leigh, careful what you write.